The Milwaukee Bucks lost more than just Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. They also lost former All-Star forward Khris Middleton to a sprained MCL. Middleton has officially been ruled out for Games 3 and 4 in Chicago. The injury is likely to keep him out beyond that as well., as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski believes he will be out the rest of the series. That certainly complicates things for a Bucks squad looking to repeat as NBA Champions. Last year, the team was mostly healthy all the way through the playoffs. But that's in part why it is so difficult to go back-to-back. You can never predict health.
But let's not pretend like this was the only issue in Game 2. The Bucks were struggling well before Middleton went down with the MCL sprain in the fourth quarter. Chicago led for most of the game. Their big three of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic combined for 85 points.
Meanwhile, the Bucks' big three of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Middleton only had 66 points. But in order for Milwaukee to regain control of this series, it's going to take more than just those guys.
Here are my three bold Milwaukee Bucks predictions for Game 3 vs. the Chicago Bulls.
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Milwaukee Bucks 3 Bold Predictions for Game 3 vs. Chicago Bulls
1. Bobby Portis plays a large role at Brook Lopez's expense
At first glance, anyone who witnessed Game 2 would think I was crazy. After all, Lopez scored 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including hitting three from downtown. Portis only played six minutes, got a cut above his eye and was never a factor. But the Bucks power forward is plenty capable of scoring and shooting.
Portis is not listed on the Bucks injury report for Game 3.
The biggest reason for the expected change though is on the other end of the court. In Game 1, the Bucks forward out of Arkansas was very active on both ends of the court. He has always been an energy and intensity guy since first entering the NBA. The Bucks are going to need all of those attributes to pull out this game.
In theory, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer could just start Portis in Middleton's place. The problem with that is then the starting lineup consists of Antetokounmpo, Lopez and Portis. That's an extremely big, and even slower lineup. Chicago would likely expose that by getting out on the break. Not to mention, Lopez has arguably been one of the worst defensive centers for years. Not to mention, he's a terrible rebounder for someone who stands seven feet tall.
Expect Portis to post closer to a double-double in Game 3 with some defensive metrics.
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2. Jrue Holiday continues to struggle
Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday is typically very efficient offensively. Despite being known as arguably the best on-ball defender in the NBA, he quietly also knocks down over 50 percent of his shots. That's rare for a point guard that takes as many shots as he does. He was especially deadly from deep this season, hitting over 41 percent from beyond the arc.
However, through the first two games of this series, the Bulls have made his life miserable. The Bucks guard has hit only 12 of his 32 shots in the series thus far. He's been even worse from three, going 3-for-9. But it's really his inability to control the offense that has been missing.
Holiday has 12 assists and 10 turnovers in Games 1 and 2 combined. Milwaukee does not have a true point guard on the bench. Jevon Carter is the only listed point guard on the depth chart. He has played 19 minutes total and has not made an impact whatsoever. Don't expect him to on the road, either.
That likely will force Holiday, who plays hard on both ends of the court, to have to play 35 to 40 minutes again. There's only so much energy the Bucks ball-handler can exert. I do not believe you should expect a bounce-back game for Holiday in Game 3.
3. Milwaukee struggles from deep, loses Game 3
The Bucks were awful from beyond the arc in their Game 1 win, but Middleton helped correct that in Game 2. He finished 5-for-7 from downtown. That is shooting production that is going to be hard to replace. It's not like the Bucks are loaded with shooters off the bench.
The best three-point shooter off the bench is Pat Connaughton. Thus far in this series, he is 2-for-12 from deep, and 2-for-13 overall. So, he basically has only taken three's and missed nearly all of them. He's a role player that will be counted on now heading on the road. That's not a recipe to turn it around.
Antetokounmpo might need another superhuman effort to pull out this victory. Chicago has been able to overcome the size deficit and at least hang with the Bucks on the glass. If they continue to take Holiday's efficiency away, and Milwaukee struggles from the outside, I think the Bulls are going to take a 2-1 series lead.